Beet-topping machine



A. H. BALLARD.

BEET TOPPING MACHINE.

APPLICANON FILED 11111.24. |920.

Patented Feb. 15,1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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AA. H. BALLARD. BEET TQPPING MACHINE.

APPLLcATLoN FILED 1AN.24. 1920. r

Patented F61). 15,1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- ASA. H.

BALLARD, 0E' FORT MORGAN, COLORADO.

snnT-'rorrrne MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 15, 1921.

Application filed January 24, 1920. Serial No. 353,786.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that l, Asn l-i, Barisano, a citizen oftheV United States, residingat Fort Morgan, county of Morgan, and State oi Colorado, have invented certain new and usei'ul improvements in Beet-Topping Machines; and I do declare the following-tribe a full, clear, and exact description of the rnvention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to malte and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which iorni a part of this specification. p

The object or" this invention is toV provide a cheap and etlicient machine for topping beets, which may be operated with a mini# mum of power.

Briefly, the invention comprises conveying means disposed on both sides ot a truck, and cuttingmeans cooperating with the two conveying means. The cutting means and conveyers are brought into operation altere nately in order that the application ot power to each conveyor will not have to be continuous.

than the other. @ne member is provided with ,pockets for receiving the bodies of the beets, and the other with cooperating pockets for receiving the tops.

rThe cutting means operates between these two members, the severed tops remaining in the pockets in the one member. By reason ot' the difference in lengths of the two conveyer members, the tops are discharged at one point and the bodies at a different point.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a side elevation showing the nvention.

Fig. 2 is a plan, the cutting means per se being omitted. n

Fig. 3 is an enlarged elevational detail of the cutting device and is indicated by the arrow 3 of Fig. 4.

Fig. i is a tace view, indicatedby the arrow 4 ot Fig. 3.

Figo is an enlarged detail taken from the line 5--5 of Fig. 2.

A framework 10, mounted upon a truck, carries an engine l2, provided with fly- Wheels 14 and a sprocket 16, which drives a gear 2O through the medium of a chain 18. The gear 20 is mounted upon. a crank shaft- 22, having a pair of opposltely disposed Each conveying means comprises' two endless members, one oi which is shorterv cranks 24, with which links 26 are connected. The links 26 are in turn pivotally connected with arms 28, fixed on two short shafts 30 and 32, whose inner ends are journaled in a common bearing 3d, and whose outer ends are journaled respectively at 36 and 88. ln this manner the two shafts and 32 are operated independently. Each oik the shafts() and 32 has ixed thereon a ratchet 4:0 and a gear 42. A dog La ispivoted on each arm 28 and engages the respective ratchet 40, each dog being pressed by springs 46. Freni this it will be seen l.that each link "26 imparts an oscillatory movement to the respective ar1nf28, which in turn yimparts through the medium ofthe dog da partial rotation to the ratchet Quand gear 4:2. Each gear 4t2, through the medimn of a chain 48',

` drives a sprocket 50, which sprockets 5() are mounted on separate shafts 52 having a common journal 53. The, shafts 52 thus vhave independent movement,` To the outer end of each shaft 52 is 'iiXed a gear 55,Y which drives a chain 5e, which passes over one oi'4 a pair of gears 56, mountedon each ot the short shafts'58 at the opposite end oi the soy framework l0. The other one of each pair Y of gears 56 has a chain 60 passing thereover, and thence toward the opposite end ot the machine to another gear 62. The chain 60 is shorter than the chain 54, as indicated. rhe chain 5d is provided with a plurality of blocks 64, shaped as indicated, to accommodate the bodies or the beets; and the chain V60 is provided with a plurality oi blocks 66 to receive the tops of the beets.V These chains with their respective blocks constitute the conveyers.

The blocks 64 are spaced somewhat from the blocks 66 and the cutting blade 70 reciprocates-between the blocks. This blade is carried on the lower end of anV arm 72, which operates in a vertically disposed guide 74, on a bracket 75, connected with the framework of the machine. The upper end of the rod 72 carries a link 76, eccentrically pivoted at 78 on a disk 80, fined upon and rotated by thecrank shaft 22. The rod 72 is provided with a lateral extension 82,` which engages a forked beet-holding meinber 84e, reciprocating in a guide 86, in the bracket 75. A spring 88 is interposed between the extension 82 andan offset on the ing to the size of the beet being held.` This speciic mechanism is `described and claimedV copendmg case, Serial No. 306,169,

in my filed June 23rd, 1919. l

From the foregoing it Will be seen that the crank shaft 22' is rotated centinuouslyinis rotation by means of the chain 18.

will

through the medium of the links 26 `canse the gears. Ll2 to be rotated intermitpositely disposed,the oscillation' of the arms Y 28 and corresponding intermittent movement oi the gears and oo nveyers on oppo- 'site sides of Vthe maehine will be alternate.`

Thus the power of ,the engine lwill be employed first to move the. cenveyersen one,

Y thereon.

those side ofthe machine", and thenl te move on the lother side. VThe reei'aroeat'ion of the knives 70 through themediuni of the crank ping step,v the` beets and tons Will lie in the respective pockets 'untilthe conveyer parts Vpass around the gears 55 and 62, the

tops being discharged at a. point adjacent the knife 70,f Whilethe bodies are discharged beyond the end or the track.V

l claim:

l. ln a beet-topping machine, spaced conveyers to carry beets, means to move said spaced conveyers alternately, and means to sever the topsfrom the beets on eaeh conveyer, said'severing means being operable during the the respective conveyers. Y

2. ln a. beet-,topping machine, spaced con- Veyeis to carry beets,VY means to move the conveyers alternately, and alternately operating means to sever the top'sirom the beets on the respective conveyers.

Y 8. 'ln a beet-topping machine, spaced conveyers for the beets, means to move the conveyers alternately, means adjacent each conveyer to sever the tops 'from the beets e. ln a beet-topping machine, spaced con-V veyers for the beets, means to move the Vconveyers alternately,jmeans to sever 'the tops from the beets, said conveyer-inoving means ing' member for each conveyer, anda een nection between each member and one of said f links whereby movement isv imparted to each memberdnring movement in one directionof the respective link.

interval between movements of Y.

comprising acrank shaft havingoppositelyV disposed cranks, links on said cranks, a driv- 

